High and Middle School STEM Video Challenge Powered by AT&T and BNMC | News

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The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC) is hosting a video competition for high school and middle school students as one of a number of events and activities that will complement the 2017 Topcoder Open (TCO) hosted by the BNMC in October. TCO is a prestigious programming, design, and data science competition that attracts some of the world’s most talented design and technology experts. The STEM Video Challenge, powered by AT&T, is designed for students to show how they predict technology will lead to a better future in Western New York.

Students are encouraged to use technology and creativity in their video production, including mobile devices, drones, animation and special effects, to make it as impactful as possible. Participants must be a current student in grades 5 through 12, 18 years of age or younger and a resident of Erie or Niagara County. Middle school students will compete only with those in grades 5-8 and high school students will compete with those in grades 9-12. Entries will be accepted in both an individual and a group category for both grade levels. Video submissions will be accepted beginning September 12 through October 6 at www.bnmc.org/videochallenge. The winners will be announced on October 24 at the TCO finals at dig at the Innovation Center on the BNMC. Three winners will be selected in each category and have a chance to win cash prizes of up to $500.

The STEM Video Challenge, powered by AT&T, is hosted by the BNMC and Topcoder in partnership with Girl Develop It. AT&T’s partnership on this unique and innovative video challenge is a creative way to expose local students to the skills and technology necessary to create film, new media and multimedia projects. As video content continues to become more and more popular across all spectrums of business, communications, entertainment and education, the skill of video making and content development has become more and more in demand. Interested participants can learn more at www.bnmc.org/videochallenge.

“AT&T is proud to collaborate with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the other organizations to support this innovative video challenge and providing an opportunity for creative local young minds to share their unique perspective and artistic vision of how technology can transform their communities and advance social good,” said Benjamin Roberts, director, Public Affairs, AT&T. “As the world’s economy continues to transform at a robust pace — requiring a workforce with a focus on technological education and literacy — STEM learning opportunities like this one that provide immersive learning environments are vital to ensure that the students of today are equipped with the transformational skills needed to compete in the global innovation economy of tomorrow.”

AT&T’s support of this video and STEM challenge is part of the company’s legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM and emerging technology disciplines in New York. The support was made possible by AT&T Aspire, the company’s signature $400 million philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism and mentoring. Aspire is one of the nation’s largest corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on 21st century careers.

According to Kari Bonaro, Director of Communications & External Affairs for the BNMC, “The earlier we can engage young students in learning about technology and in considering careers in this field, the stronger Buffalo’s tech capabilities will be well into the future. Hosting the Topcoder Open gives us a unique showcase in the tech sector and the BNMC has a full complement of events and activities planned designed to develop and promote the advancement of technology on the Medical Campus and throughout Western New York.”

TCO was launched in 2001 and is now recognized as the world’s premier competition for the most talented minds. Many of the world’s most respected tech companies keep a close watch on the competition and often hire top performers immediately. Past winners have gone on to successful careers at Google, Facebook, Blizzard Entertainment and Cisco. Buffalo was chosen as the 2017 site due to its leading edge hospitals and health care providers, world renowned research and banking institutions, socially innovative private companies as well as its concentration of colleges and universities, most notably the University at Buffalo, home to the academic supercomputing center and significant science and engineering programs.